§ Mr. Wigleyasked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will estimate the number of key workers' houses which are owned by the Mid-Wales Development, the Welsh Development Agency and local authorities in Wales; how many of these are currently standing empty; and if he will estimate the annual cost to public authorities in Wales, in terms of loss of rent, in holding key workers' houses empty.
§ Mr. Mark RobinsonAt 31 December 1986, the Development Board for Rural Wales owned 84 houses specifically for key workers of which 14 were empty. The loss of rent during the current financial year is estimated to be £26,000. In addition, housing associations and local authorities in Mid Wales identify houses to which, for a limited time and in return for a guarantee of rent, they give the board nomination rights for key worker tenants. There were 231 such houses at 31 December 1986 of which 19 were empty. Rent guarantee payments made by the board are estimated at around £19,000 in the current financial year.
The Welsh Development Agency does not provide housing for key workers. It owns a small number of houses originally provided for key workers but no longer used for that purpose.
Information on key worker dwellings owned by local authorities throughout Wales is not collected centrally.